Chapter 1

Someone screamed. I jerked up from my deep slumber. My mother crashed into the room I shared with my brother Roy, who still fast asleep.

"It's here. It's here."

"What's here?"

I asked sleepy while rubbing the sleep from my eyes. My mother was way too excited this early in the morning.

"The letter, of course"

I frowned.

"Which letter?"

My mother looked at me as I had grown a second head.

"The application for the selection"

Ah! That. I turned around in my bed and pulled the blanket over my head, trying to get at least a little more sleep. But my mother had none of that.

"Felicity Megan Smoak. You get up right now. You will fill out that form and return it to the Providence office."

She sat down on the bed next to me.

"I know you don't want to do this, but it would help us a lot if you would be selected."

She sighed.

"Money has been tight. You can at least try. Please. If not for me, then do it for your brother."

She was right. We had barely any money, barely enough food. Because we were Sixes in our town.

In Illéa the population was divided in eight castes. One is the highest and Eight is the lowest. The Ones were Royalty and religious figures. the Twos were Celebrities; including athletes, singers, actors/actresses, models, politicians, police officers, firefighters, guards, and military members. They could afford splendid feast, because they had a lot of money. The Threes were the Great Minds of our Nation. They were inventors, teachers, philosophers, scientists, doctors, veterinarians, dentists, architects, librarians, engineers, therapists/psychologists, film directors, music producers, lawyers, and writers. The Fours didn't have as much money as the Twos and Threes, but they didn't have to worry about their next meal. They were Businessmen; including jewelers, real estate agents, insurance brokers, head chefs, construction managers, property/business owners, and farmers. These were the upper castes, the better-heeled people. The lower castes didn't have it as easy as the upper. Then they were the Fives: Artists and Performers; including stage actors, classical musicians, singers, dancers, photographers and circus performers. The Sixes, Workers; including secretaries, waiters/waitresses, housekeepers, seamstresses, store clerks, cooks, and drivers, were where my family belong to. Near the bottom were the Sevens: Manual Laborers; including gardeners, construction workers, farm hands, gutter/pool cleaners, and the people you call to do the dirty work. And last but not least there were the Eights: "Untouchables"; including mentally/physically unwell people, addicts, runaways, illegitimates, and the homeless. For some crimes, the punishment could be that you would be downcast to an Eighth. Your caste dictated what you were allowed to work as, which was bad for me, because I hated to wait tables.

I wanted to be an Inventor, but for that I had to be a Three. I could marry a Three, because as woman when you married you adopt the caste of your husband, but unfortunately no man, Three, Six or otherwise, would ever be interested in me. I had mousy brown hair, was small for my age of 17 and wore glasses over my blue eyes. I wore baggy clothes in my free time, which once belonged to my older brother. I wasn't standing out. I wasn't girly. I wasn't princess material. But I owed my family at least to try.

"Okay, Mom. I'll do it"

My mother looked at me surprised.

"Really?"

"I smiled determined at her. "Really. Could you put the form on the table, please? I will get changed, wake up Roy, then I coming down to fill it out, before I go to work."

I looked out of the window. The sun was slowly rising. We had to get ready for work.

"Get ready for your first shift, mom"

"Okay, honey, Love you. See you tonight"

"Love you, too"

She stood up and kissed me on the head. Then she walked up to Roy, leaned down and pressed a kiss on his head.

The next day I took the whole day off, because I thought there had to be long lines before the State Providence Offices. It seems I was right. As I stood in line waiting, I regretted to not have followed my mother's request to dress in my nicest clothes. I saw Brie Larvan, a Three, dressed up as well as a lot of other girls. I felt shabby. I should go back home, destroy the form and forget that this ever happened. I had no chance against the horde of unmarried girls in the whole state. I was about to put my plan into action, when someone tipped me on the shoulder from behind. I shrieked and turned around. In front of me, stood my best friend and fellow Six, Barry Allen, with this little sister, Nora. Barry was a year older than me, had brown hair and green eyes. He was tall and lanky. His sister was a bit taller than me, 16. She also had green eyes like her brother and had chestnut-colored hair, which was a so much prettier hair color than my own. Barry and I knew each other since we were little. We had bonded over the loss of one parent (Barry's mother Nora had died after the birth of her daughter hence naming the daughter Nora and my father left our family when I was 7. Until today we don't know why) and our love for science. My father had left behind a lot of books over a lot of different topics. They were science, history books, books about medicine and computers, and he had one about military strategy. We've read them all. We've loved them. And we realized that we were a lot smarter than others. We shared the dream to explore the world, to invent things, to learn more and we wanted to improve the world, help people. But soon we realized as well, that none of this dreams would come true, because we merely Sixes.

"Hi"

He greeted me.

"Didn't think I would find you here; Liz."

"Didn't know you would be here either; Interested in the prince?"

I teased him. I pulled him in a hug.

"Good to see you, Barry."

I pulled Nora in a hug as well. She was like a little sister to me.

"Hey, Nora, you look quite dashing"

"You think?"

I nodded.

"Very beautiful!"

"Thanks"

She had a lovely summer dress on, one of her mother's if I recall right. She had braided a flower in her hair, as well. I felt shabby next to her and wanted to come up with an excuse, except Barry knew what I thought and put an arm around my shoulder. I sighed and decided to make the best of it. At least I wasn't waiting alone.

We were all sitting and waiting that the broadcast began. The Allen's had come over to watch with us. Tonight they would announce the Selected. I was sure I wasn't one of them, because they took pictures of us as well. And with what I was wearing they must have sorted me out at the beginning, but I hoped that Nora was chosen. It started. The normal reports were read. And then Perry White came into the picture.

"Hello, Illéa! Before we start...Prince Oliver"

There he was the man, 16 girls would be fighting for. He was very handsome with his broad shoulders and his bulging upper arms. He had blonde, close-cropped hair and stubble. He seemed tall, but that could be false. You can never know with what tricks they work on TV.

"So how are you feeling, Your Majesty?"

Perry asked the Prince, after they had both sat down on barstools.

"Nervous, but also excited"

The Prince answered with a charming smile on his lips. The smile was a fake. It didn't reach his eyes. Perry laughed.

"Then we don't want to keep you in suspense. Let's begin!"

"So the first one is from Civic City, McKenna Hall, is a Two"

Her picture was shown. I'd tuned out till Barry poked me in the side. This meant Fawcett City was next.

"From Fawcett City we have Felicity Smoak, a Six"

I stared at my own image. All hell broke loose.